Xiaolin Showdown: The Jack Pack Season 2
by Stryker Young
Summary: With Jack in a coma and Stryker captured, what will the remaining Jack Pack members do to reunite their team? Can Jack break through the Sapphire Dragon's hold? Are they doomed to lose their best friend forever? Or will Jack simply become...something else?
1. Episode 1: Chapter 1

Zephyr stood staring out the circular window of the shrine. It had been two days since the explosion, only a couple hours since he'd awoken. Everyone had been so relieved, it'd taken him forever to get his brother, Raimundo, to stop strangling him in a bear hug. He didn't know what they were so excited about. Sure, _he _was awake, but he'd rather Jack was.

He looked over at the Jack Pack leader. His comatose body was laying on the stone floor of the meditation room, covered with a red blanket and surrounded by silent monks. They were trying another enchantment, trying to tap into Jack's soul, or maybe the Sapphire Dragon that had overtaken him. That explained why Cinder was slumped beside him; the monks were probably too deep into the ritual to tell her to get lost.

It broke Zeph's heart, seeing her like she was. Her chestnut hair had dulled and hung limp from her head, hiding her deep blue eyes from sight. Rai told him she hadn't moved from that spot since she woke. Zephyr thought they should have tried harder. She wore so many bandages on her arms, one that went across both shoulders, many where her waist had been torn open, and one on her cheek. Someone should have told her to rest, like they'd told him. He looked back out the window and smiled sadly. Well, if _he_ hadn't listened, he probably shouldn't judge _Cinder_.

A limped shuffle sounded behind him, and he turned to see Entropy behind them. She looked terrible, bandaged from her ankles to her neck. The monks had overestimated her healing factor, it was taking much longer than expected. Zephyr didn't know how she could even stand.

"You probably shouldn't be-" Zephyr started as her eyes wearily darted around them.

"Where is he?"

He stared at her for a moment, then looked down at the stone floor.

"...Chase got him."

Entropy's violet reptilian eyes snapped to his face, looking both fearful and crazed.

"What do you mean...Chase got him?" she hissed.

"It was after the explosion," Zephyr said with a cringe. "Chase grabbed Stryker while we were out and carried him off."

"And you didn't _stop _him?"

"I tried, but I couldn't really move. He knocked me out afterwards and..."

He looked over when he heard Entropy taking in air, rapidly and in big gulps, through clenched teeth.

"Hey, we'll get him back," Zephyr told her, coming over and putting a hand on her bobbing shoulder. "Don't freak out-"

"Don't freak out?" Entropy snarled. "_Don't freak out_!"

Some of the monks raised their heads, eyes still closed, but they were paying attention to her words.

"You _idiot_!" she screeched, ripping Zephyr's hand away. "Do you know what he'll _do_ to him! He'll _kill_ him or _torture _him or_-_"

"Enny calm down!"

"Don't _tell_ me to calm _down_!"

She whacked him across the face and Zephyr stumbled back in surprise. Entropy's eyes were mad and glazed, as if something had snapped inside her head. Her cousin was gone, the only family she'd ever really wanted, _gone_. Her head whipped around and rested on Jack's body. Millions of expressions passed her face before she bared her teeth.

"He..._caused_...this..." she choked.

"Enny..." Zephyr started, slowly coming towards her.

She let out a roar and bolted forward, too fast for Zephyr to hold her back. The monks were awake now and on their feet. Four or five wrapped their arms around her before she reached Jack, but she struggled and clawed and kept her eyes on him.

"_You did this_!" she wailed as Zephyr grabbed her around the waist and lifted her in the air. "_You've killed him_! _This is all your fault_! _This is all your fault_!"

Cinder's body tensed and her head moved towards her friend, her eyes hidden from view. Entropy threw her head back and nailed Zeph in the nose, breaking his hold on her. She ducked under the monks' arms and managed to get passed them, racing forward as her eyes flashed between silver and purple before settling on the first.

Cinder suddenly shot up and struck the girl's stomach. Entropy instantly sagged and stared in shock at Cinder's fierce eyes, narrowed and hollow. Cinder's fist turned to a claw and she slammed it into Entropy's shoulder, hitting the right pressure point to lay the girl out. She straightened as the men stared at her, looking down at Entropy as if this were the first time she had seen her. Zephyr pushed passed the men and checked Entropy's pulse, then turned a firm gaze to Cinder.

"You didn't have to hit her so hard," he told her.

"She was going crazy," Cinder said indifferently. "And _you_ all couldn't seem to stop her."

Zephyr watched her turn and kneel beside Jack again, then wrapped his arms around Entropy and stood, cradling her carefully as he walked out of the room. He turned to see that the monks had gone back to their former positions, silent, calm. Zephyr hated how they could do that, just tune out all the chaos and go about their meditating crap. Stryker was gone, Jack was barely there, Entropy was bugging out. Why was he the only one that seemed to be freaking out?

"I told you to rest."

He looked up and saw his older brother Raimundo Pedrosa coming up to him, that brotherly concern on his face. He was looking down at Entropy with concern.

"She had a freak out, tried to attack Jack," Zephyr explained. "Cinder knocked her out."

Rai looked surpried at this and continued to stare at Entropy as he moved the curtain of their guest room aside.

"Didn't think she was _that_ intense," he said as Zephyr slid passed him and set Entropy on the pallet.

"Everyone is lately," Zephyr mumbled.

The brothers paused as Zephyr slid the blanket up to Entropy's shoulders and stood, holding his arm as he gazed down at her.

"Did you find anything?" he asked.

"Not really," Rai sighed. "Hannibal's trail is cold, like he vanished."

"What about Stryker?"

Rai cringed and Zephyr glared up at him.

"You've been trying to get him back, right?" he asked.

"Zeph..."

"Rai!"

"I know, I know!" Rai interrupted. "But we can't just run in there and try snagging him!"

"Why? Why can't you?"

"Because it's not that _easy_."

"It's _not_? What would _make_ it easier? If it were _me_ in there?"

"No-"

"Look me in the eyes and say that!"

Rai had his mouth open in defense, but when Zephyr glared at him his words disappeared. He knew he was doing something wrong, and completely biased, because if it had been Zephyr, or Cinder, even Jack or Entropy, he'd find the right reasons to save them.

"He's going to put Stryker through _Hell_, Rai," Zephyr told him. "You know that!"

"So what then?" Rai snapped. "I'm supposed to just rush off, leave you and the girls and Jack without any protection, to save _one_ kid?"

"Yeah, you are!"

"Why?"

"'Cause if you _don't,_ _I'm _going to go get him!"

His statement brought Rai to a pause, and Zephyr crossed his arms triumphantly.

"But...I..._ugh_, _fine_!" Rai cried.

Zephyr smiled as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, I'll talk to the others and get a plan started. That front door won't open that easily now."

"Don't procrastinate, either," Zephyr lectured as Rai started for the curtain.

"I know, I know! You know, the kid's pretty strong and Chase is kinda weird. I'm sure he's just lying in a king sized bed right now getting waited on by a bunch a lions."


	2. Episode 1: Chapter 2

A dark, hazy apparition was in front of him, but he couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to focus on it. He groaned and squeezed them shut, then opened them a little again. It was closer now; he flinched when it reached towards him and grabbed his chin, forcing his face up as he realized who this was.

"Crap..." he moaned as his uncle, Chase Young, smirked at him.

"Hello, Stryker," Chase greeted, smoothing his nephew's Mohawk with fake affection. "It's so nice to see you again."

Stryker tried to move his arms, then looked up to see them chained above his head. His uncle had taken precaution for sure. Even his ankles were chained.

"I can't say the same," he sighed, gripping the chains and attempting to pull. Something twinged inside him, causing him to stop and cringe. He hadn't healed all the way yet. "So what now? You try to convince me to join your cause and I spit in your face?"

"I think that we'd be wasting our time with that," Chase admitted, to which Stryker raised an eyebrow. "Don't misunderstand, you _will _join me. It will just be a more..._unpleasant_ persuasion than you're used to."

"Why? You gonna _plot_ me to death?" Stryker snarled. Even so, he felt his stomach tighten.

His uncle chuckled as the dungeon door started to open.

"No, no," he said, straightening and looking at the entrance. "I'm going to have a more _skill__ed_ artist talk you into joining."

Stryker stared at the woman who came into the cell. She had dark blue, long hair, kept back by a headband, and blue reptilian eyes. She wore similar armor to his uncle, was pale, and a couple inches taller than he. He glared at her, but he had to suppress the shiver that ran through him when he saw the knife she was twirling.

"Don't hurt him too badly, Shadow," Chase said as he walked past her. "I still need him to be of use."

"Ah course, Chase," Shadow hissed, a malicious grin on her face. "I'll make sure the lil tike is taken _very_ good care of."

Chase nodded and left as Stryker stared at the woman. Where had his uncle found _this_? Shadow took a couple steps back towards him, waiting to be sure Chase was really gone. When she was sure, she whipped around and blasted Stryker across the face, snapping his head around. He wrenched against the chains to try and attack her, his eyes flickering gold; she simply grinned at him and grabbed his jaw, forcing him back against the stone wall. He muttered a curse when she tightened and her nails dug into his skin.

"You and I are gonna have a _swell_ time, lil tike," Shadow hissed. "Now that your uncle's gone and left ya in my care."

She brought her face closer to his and pressed her blade against his abdomen. Stryker's face flickered as he tried to raise himself away from it.

"Let me show ya what happens when ya don't do what my daddy wants..."

Chase raised his head when Stryker's screams reached his ears. He showed no emotion at first, then he smirked and closed his eyes, sitting back in his throne to enjoy this new sound.


	3. Episode 1: Chapter 3

Entropy shot up stiffly, her eyes shooting around the room. What had happened? She remembered waking, talking to Zephyr, and then...

She stood up and went to the curtain, pulled it back and looked down the hall. Jack was gone, so were Cinder and the monks. They must've moved him after she freaked out. Why did they have to be so smart? A pain raced from her ankle to her shoulder and she slid down the wall, gritting her teeth until it passed.

_Why can't I heal faster? _she thought bitterly. _I never heal fast. Never never never..._

She shakily reached out and pulled one of the bandages off. That wound was gone, so was the next one she uncovered. So she was healed on the surface; now it was the inside that was taking so long.

"You probably shouldn't be up yet."

Her eyes shot up to see Kimiko standing nearby, a gentle smile on her face. Entropy scowled and curled up when she came closer.

"None of you know how to listen, do you?" Kimiko teased gently. She held her hand out. "C'mon. I can take you to the sitting room."

"Why would I want to go there?" Entropy growled.

"Because there's better signal there. We can pick a show to watch."

"I don't want to watch anything."

"Then we can just hang out."

"I don't want to."

Kimiko lost her smile and gave the girl a tired look.

"Enny, c'mon..."

Entropy's spine shook. That expression, the sound of her nickname coming out of Kimiko's mouth, they brought Stryker to the forefront of her mind. That's what was wrong, he was gone. Chase had gotten him when she was unconsious, and no one could stop him. She shot up, ignoring the pain, and grabbed Kimiko by the shoulders. Kimiko squeaked as Entropy's weight knocked her on the ground and she was forced to stare up at her.

"Don't call me that!" Entropy boomed, baring her teeth at the other girl. "_Don't call me anything_! You and you're _stupid_ friends can all go to _Hell_!"

"Entropy-" Kimiko started calmly. She was feeling a burning sensation in her throat, which happened when she was fighting to control her temper but wishing she could just let it out.

"Where are they anyway? They probably aren't even _looking _for Stryker!"

"Entropy please-"

"_Shut up_! _Shut! Up_! You don't know what this is like! You don't know _anything_!"

Kimiko grit her teeth as Entropy started shaking her roughly. There was something rabid and wrong going on in her head. She'd known Entropy was unstable, everyone did. But she'd done so well keeping it together. With everything falling apart at the seams for the Jack Pack, she couldn't really blame her for reacting this way.

"Entropy, let me speak!" Kimiko cried as Entropy's breath started coming out uneven. "I promise, the boys are trying their best-"

"_No they're not_!" Entropy cried, her eyes squeezed shut. "No they're not, they never try never try to save him no one _ever_ tries to save us _never never never-_"

Kimiko growled and grabbed Entropy's wrists. Entropy shrieked as the other girl jerked her hips up and threw her forward, then twisted until Entropy fell to the side. Before she knew it Kimiko was hoisting her into a tight squeeze, one arm around her shoulders and the other on her head. She fought it for a moment, tears running down her face, but her body was too weak and she ended up pressed against the girl's shoulder.

"It's okay, it's okay," Kimiko said soothingly. Entropy gasped and her throat hitched a lot, but she started relaxing as Kimiko smoothed her hair and shushed her. "Everything's going to be fine, Entropy."

"You don't know that," Entropy whimpered. "No one knows that. No one ever knows that..."

"We're going to try. I _promise _you, we're going to try."

A strangled noise came from Entropy's throat, and then she started to sob, loud and rough as Kimiko drew her closer. They were like that for a long moment, then a figure appeared next to them, and Kimiko looked up to see Zephyr. He watched Entropy crying with a pained expression on his face, then sank down and touched her shoulder. She snapped around as if he'd struck her, then softened when she saw his face. Kimiko was surprised when Entropy flung her arms around the boy and cried much louder than she had been before. Zephyr scooped her up and stood, his eyes squeezed shut as he buried his face in her hair. Kimiko stood up and touched his arm, then started towards the vault room to see how Jack was fairing.

"There's...something...wrong with...me," Entropy choked out when she was gone.

"You're fine, Enny," Zephyr assured her quietly. "Just shaken up."

"I want...I want to _kill _him...I want to...kill _them._"

Zephyr's eyes opened a little, then he closed them and kissed her head.

"We'll fix this, Enny, okay?" he said. "We'll get Stryker back. Jack will wake up. We'll see them both again. Everything will be okay."

Entropy nodded, but she kept gasping to herself, whimpering words as she tapped weakly on his chest.

"Never okay...nothing's ever okay...never...never...never..."


	4. Episode 1: Chapter 4

Stryker's body slumped against the wall, battered beyond recognition. There was blood running down his face in streams, gashes across his arms, chunks missing from his exposed torso. His left eye was swollen shut and his lower lip was busted open.

"So strange, how _weak _one such as you gets after only a few hours being slashed to bits," Shadow crooned, examining his wounds with sick interest. "And here I thought you'd be more fun."

Stryker worked air in and out of his lungs. He could already feel his skin spreading slowly back over the wounds, mending. He wished they'd stop, it only encouraged this sick freak. He actually found solice in the fact that the more she sliced, the slower he regenerated.

Shadow lifted his head for him, smirking into his eyes before ramming her armored forearm into his throat.

"What doya think, lil tike?" she asked as Stryker gagged and blood spurted into his mouth. "Doya think I should tell dear ole Dad that there was a _terrible_ accident? That you just _happened_ to die, and I couldn't do any-"

Stryker reared bacl and spat the blood into her eyes. She shrieked and stumbled back, whiping her face before snarling at him. She paused, dagger in midair, as they met eyes. Stryker's had gone gold, pure and unfailing. She grinned.

"Oh, mate," she pouted mockingly as she sauntered up to him. "I've made you a tad angry now, haven't I?"

She switched her knife to her other hand and plunged her nails into the wound below his ribs. Stryker screamed in pain as she dug in, grinning wildly as she felt his muscles and tendins wriggle around her fingers.

"Can't have you morphing and ruinin' my fun, lil tike," she hissed through her grin. Stryker bit back another scream as she pulled her fingers out and slid her knife across his abdomen. "Now, now, don't be selfish! Don't you think your uncle would _worry _if he didn't hear you scream, _Prometheus_?"

"Shadow, I pressume?"

The woman jumped at the voice and spun around, leaving Stryker to sag again and catch his breath. She relaxed when she saw Wuya in the doorway, flanked by that spotted and striped lioness.

"What're ya doin' here?" Shadow growled, waving her knife leisurely at her. "Can't ya see I'm busy?"

"Yes, I can see that very clearly," Wuya said with a smirk. "Mind if I admire your work?"

She stepped into the room and Shadow stiffened. They'd had little contact since Shadow had hatched from her shell, but something about Wuya caused her to tense. Wuya noticed this as she leaned over and grabbed Stryker under the chin. He groaned as she pulled him up into the air, her long nails tracing his neck wounds.

"Creative, although I must say, with how much Chase has started praising you, I expected better."

"Better?" Shadow scoffed, crossing her arms. "What're you blabbin' about?"

"Well, for example," Wuya started as she dropped Stryker. He barely caught himself enough to stand straight. "You missed one of the best places."

Stryker looked up in time to watch Wuya's index claw jab towards his sternum. All air left him when he felt the nail plunge through his flesh and pop through the bone. His eyes were saucers as he fell back against the wall, staring down at Wuya's hand. The lioness snarled from the door, her fur puffing up tremendously.

"Huh," Shadow mused. "I guess I never thought of that."

"Like I said, I expected _more_," Wuya repeated. She pulled her finger out of Stryker's chest with a sick _pop_, then whiped her hand on her skirt as she turned to the younger woman and smiled.

"I have him from here. Why don't you go eat or something."

"I don't take orders from _you_," Shadow scoffed. "My Daddy-"

"You're _daddy_ is out at the moment. Probably to deal with the little monks. So either go help him or be a good girl somewhere _else_."

Shadow's eyes widened, and she looked conflicted. Wuya's smile grew as she scoffed again, then left, scooching past the lioness that turned fierce blue eyes to her. Wuya listened to her footsteps as they went upstairs, then whipped around to Stryker.

"Hold on, it'll only be a second," she said softly.

"Touch me and I'll kill you," Stryker growled, flinching away from her.

"Now's not the time, just _trust_ me."

Stryker cried out when she put a hand over his worst wound, then relaxed when he felt a cooling sensation flow through his body. Wuya's hands were glowing red, and his wounds were sealing shut quickly, stitching themselves as dutifully as if they were torn clothing being ran through a sewing machine.

"I thought your powers were gone," he said through clenched teeth.

"I managed to sneak a few out of an old spell book," Wuya confessed as she wiped blood from his eye. "Stand up, I'm getting you out of here."

Stryker shifted, but his legs were still weak, so Wuya had to support him.

"Make up your mind, _Witch_," Stryker grumbled. "Who's side are you _freaking _on?"

"Don't ask me that right now," Wuya told him. "All I know is I _hate_ being used and I _hate_ being dumped for a woman who was literally born yesterday."

Stryker grunted wearily as she examined the shackle around his wrist. She couldn't find a key hole, just a part where it clasped together. After tugging she found that it wasn't weak at all; she wouldn't be able to break it with her own hands. She swore.

"Can't break it?" Stryker mumbled. His vision was blurring again and he felt dizzy.

"No, not right now. Everything upstairs is unaccessable if Chase's newest kitten is wandering around."

"Then I guess I'm stu...stuck..."

Wuya felt his legs give out and grabbed him around the waist. The lioness sprang forward and pressed against his other leg until he leaned against the wall. When he was situated she growled up at Wuya.

"Maybe _you_ could find something for us to break him free," Wuya told her. "Unless you'd rather not be turned into a pelt for treason."

The cat narrowed its eyes at her, then sprinted from the room. Stryker managed to look up and watch it go.

"Sure you can trust it?" he asked groggily.

"It hasn't shown any signs that I can't so far," Wuya said, looking around the room. "Most of Chase's cats only do what he says when he's around, or when he gives them telepathic orders. You recall that they were once warriors themselves, and would still be if Chase hadn't turned them into slaves."

She found a bucket nearby and grabbed it. Stryker's eyelids were getting heavier as she set it under him.

"Rest on this for a while," she said, easing him onto it. "You'll need to."

"You're leaving."

"I'm going to see what became of Jack and the others. Maybe they are recovered enough-"

"Don't you think they'd be with the monks if they were?"

Wuya cringed. Stryker shook his head wearily.

"Just...rest," she said, brushing his hair away from his eyes. "I don't know when I'll be back. And it may not be long before Shadow comes back."

Stryker nodded again. She kept a hand on his head for a moment, then saw that he had passed out. Even his energy felt weak and almost nonexistent. She could only hope that the others were in better shape.

She heard footsteps overhead, so she scurried out of the room. She rounded the corner farthest from the stairs and then leaned out, watching Shadow twirl her knife round and round as she made her way back to Stryker's cell. Once she entered Wuya darted towards the stairs, making it halfway before she heard Stryker start to scream again. It took every ounce of strength not to race back and rip the girl apart, but she managed, a plan formulating in her head.

The lioness met her at the top, a sword in its teeth.

"Thank you," Wuya whispered, kneeling down to take it. "Now, I need you to do something else for me."

The cat's eyes glistened as it purred up at her.

"I need to get a message to my nephew. Tell him he needs to get here as soon as possible. I don't know how much longer Stryker will last."


	5. Episode 1: Chapter 5

Cinder stared down at Jack's goggles, traced the hypno lines with her index finger. The older monks had given up trying to tap into Jack's consciousness, telling her they would try again tomorrow, so she was alone in the vault room with her friend's comatose body. He was so still sometimes, sitting in the middle of the candle lit room, that she had to keep a hand on his wrist just to assure herself he still had a pulse.

"I wish you were awake," she murmured, setting the goggles aside as she knelt on the ground beside him. "I wish that we could go home, play a game or something."

The only movement was a slight flicker beneath his eyelids. Although, with the Sapphire Dragon now fused inside him, Cinder couldn't be sure if it was Jack moving or the Wu.

"Everyone's really worried about you," she continued, brushing some of his hair away from his forehead. "Well, except Enny. I think she's having a freak out..."

She stared at the bricks in front of her for a moment.

"I...hurt her...I think. If I hadn't she would've killed you, but..."

His eyes flickered again and she grimaced.

"Jack...I'm scared. I don't know how help. I don't even know if I _can_ help..."

She touched her stomach gingerly. She was certain that one way or another she'd open her wounds again. It had taken a lot of convincing to get the monks to even let her out of bed; she had to lie, say that she was much better than Zephyr was, that she would heal soon. Zephyr must've told a similar story, since he was out and about too.

"The monks keep telling us to rest," she said bitterly. "But none of us are. Entropy won't sit still for the life of her, and Zeph looks ready to go get Stryker back from Chase himself..."

She paused, staring down at Jack. There had been a shift, she was sure of it, at the mention of Stryker, as if Jack had really heard her.

"Jack?" she whispered, grabbing his hand.

His fingers twitched, shivered really, but she gasped and squeezed his hand. She cried out and put her other hand to her stomach, felt something sticky seeping onto her fingers. Her wound had opened with her quick inhale. The stinging brought tears to her eyes, and she sagged over Jack's chest.

"_Please_..." she sobbed. "Please, please wake up..."

Her quiet weeping filled the room and her tears wet the blanket Jack was wrapped in. She sensed a presence nearby and looked up, not noticing Jack's hand twitch a second time.

"Who's there?" she squeaked.

A low figure moved in the shadows, then a large feline crept into the room, her spots and stripes seeming to cast their own shadows on her light brown fur. Cinder shivered and threw herself over Jack.

"Go away!" she roared as the cat stalked forward. "Stay away from him!"

The lioness paused, staring at her with bright blue eyes. Cinder tensed more, cringing at her abdomen's cry of pain, then turned her face away when the feline came inches from her. The cat gave a low purr, stopping when she was next to Jack. Cinder peeked out to see a strange sorrow in the lioness' face, then flinched when it looked at her. A yelp escaped her throat when she dipped down and put her snout on her stomach, expecting the cat to bite at any moment.

She relaxed when a cooling sensation washed over her, and she looked down to see the redness on her shirt dissolve as soon as the cat withdrew. After a moment she sat up and lifted the cloth away; her bandage was pristine again, as if she'd never bled onto it. The shocks of pain had vanished as well. She put a hand to her abdomen and slowly brought her eyes to the cat, who purred softly.

"Why did you do that?" she hissed. "What do you want?"

The cat answered by placing her forehead against Cinder's. Cinder's eyes grew wide as images of Stryker being torn and slashed apart by some horrible looking woman filled her head. She saw Wuya helping him as best she could, then watched her take a sword from the lioness' mouth and order her to tell the Jack Pack what was happening. Her brow knit together as the images dissolved and the lioness took her head away. Their eyes locked for a long moment, then Cinder looked at Jack with a hard expression on her face.

"...Why would someone do that...to their own nephew?" she asked quietly. "How can he just let that happen..."

The lioness sat down and shook her head, a bitter look on her face too.

"...The monks said that they'll free him," Cinder said, looking over at the cat. "I'm sure they...I'm sure they can..."

The cat answered by lifting her head and dropping her eyelids, a sort of sarcastic look that made Cinder nod.

"Yeah, you're right," she said, her eyes falling back to Jack. "Whether they can or not..."

She took a sharp breath in, then leaned forward and kissed Jack's forehead. The cat's head shot up as Cinder pulled away, then leaned back down and gave him a small peck on the lips. The lioness squinted at her as she shakily got to her feet and stormed out of the room, calling for Zephyr and Entropy.

There was a warming sensation that filled the vault room, and the cat turned to stare at Jack. He hadn't moved, but she knew something had awakened. Her brow lowered as she growled, almost longingly, then she lowered her head and nuzzled the boy's cold cheek. His head lolled to the side when she pulled away, and somehow that caused the pained expression on the cat's face to grow. She scooped his goggles into her jaws and stood, dropped them into Jack's hand, and sprinted from the room, blending into the shadows as easily as if she were the color of ink.

Jack's hand twitched, then slowly closed around the headband.


	6. Episode 1: Chapter 6

"Couldn't find them?"

"No," Chase barked, his eyes blazing as he stormed into his throne room. "They are proving more illusive than I had expected."

"Pity," Wuya said, giving him a smile to hide the bitter edge to her words.

Chase squinted at her as she draped her leg over the arm of his throne, resting her head in her palm as her green eyes scrutinized him.

"Get out of my chair," he snarled.

"I wanted to talk to you about something, Chase," Wuya said, blatently ignoring his order as she looked at her claws. "Something's been _bothering_ me."

"I can think of at least _one_ sitting in my throne."

"It's this..._Shadow_ girl you've _hatched_. Something doesn't seem right about her."

"And everything is perfectly alright with _you_?"

Wuya pursed her lips as he came up to the throne, but then smiled and stood.

"Perhaps I'm just being silly," she said, brushing something off his shoulder armor before wrapping her arms around his neck. "But I feel like she's trying to come between us, Chase."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed her arms.

"Are you trying to get me to like Shadow _less_, or _more_?" he asked, starting to pry her off.

"Less," Wuya snapped as she pulled him closer and resting her head on his chest. "I'm jealous, Chase. She seems to have _all _your attention even though _I_ was here first."

Chase craned his head away and scowled, shoving her away.

"I don't have time for this," he snarled. "I have more important things to worry about."

"Like Stryker?" Wuya asked as he started towards the dungeon.

He paused and stared ahead of him, then hissed and turned back to her. She hid the anxiety she felt better than even she expected.

"You've been to see him?"

"Yes, and if you want him on your side, you'll find someone _better _to convince."

"Shadow is well suited for the task."

"No, she's sloppy and inexperienced. On top of the fact that she doesn't give him time to _sit_ in pain. If she keeps torturing him he'll _die_, not join you, and then what will you do?"

Her heart stopped when Stryker's screams started echoing up to them. Chase was less sympathetic and simply smirked.

"That's a good try," he said, stepping up and leaning into her face. "You almost had me believing that you were as cold blooded as always."

He grabbed her chin and tilted her face up to him. She winced at how hard his grip was.

"The next time you try to stand in my way," he growled. "I will _end_ our friendly agreement, and you will be lucky if you are still _breathing_."

He shoved her away and descended to the basement, leaving Wuya to glare after him, a hand on her mouth. Something growled behind her and she turned to see her lioness dipped low, her fur standing on end as she hissed after Chase. Wuya watched for a moment, then came over and stooped beside her. She relaxed and sat down, staring up into the witch's eyes as she scratched behind her ear.

"You're a confusing one, you know that?" she sighed.

The cat purred in response, then came forward and touched foreheads with her. Wuya closed her eyes as the images she'd been waiting for appeared, then she sighed and put a hand on her face.

"Jack..." she murmured, shaking her head. "Oh, Lula must be crushed."

The lioness let out a low growl again, then twitched and looked at the doorway. Wuya stood and glared at Shadow as the lioness hissed and circled to her left side.

"You've got that cat leashed pretty tight, witch," Shadow said, giving the cat a suspicious gaze.

"And _you've _got Chase wrapped 'round your two day old finger," Wuya hissed. "Guess we've got more in common than I thought."

Shadow rolled her eyes and shook her head, an act that made Wuya's blood boil. But she kept her cool and came towards the girl.

"So how much are you and Chase alike?" she asked casually.

"What do ya care?" was Shadow's answer.

"Not a lot, I just like to know what I can about my allies."

"You want to know if I can shift."

"I want to know if you're as blood thirsty and violent as your dear old Daddy."

"I am."

Wuya stopped in front of Shadow and examined her, her hands fiddling in front of her. She smirked.

"No, you're not," she said with a mocking pout.

Shadow snarled.

"You can poke and prod Stryker down there with your tiny knife," Wuya started, beginning to circle the other woman. "You can stand there and scowl and hiss until your fangs fall out of your gums..."

She stopped and grabbed the back of Shadow's shoulders, rested her head on the girl's shoulder as she sneered at her.

"But you won't be half the lizard Chase is," Wuya told her quietly.

Shadow was stiff, that menacing glare on her face as she watched Wuya start to walk away.

"And you'll never truly _be_ better than your Daddy," she was saying. "Not if you keep following in his footsteps."

"If you think for a moment I'm turnin' against him-" Shadow started.

"Oh no, _no_," Wuya interrupted, stroking the lioness' head as she came back to where she'd stood. "I'm not suggesting you betray your father at all! Just...go off on your own. Branch out, find some friends..."

She smirked at the tilt of Shadow's head.

"I know that _I_ could use a girl friend," she said, shifting her smirk to a friendlier smile.

Shadow looked taken aback, then looked down at the ground. Without a word she swiveled around and stalked back down to the dungeon, although her initial swagger was gone. Wuya watched her leave for a moment, then smiled down at the lioness.

"I think we've just made a new friend," she said.


	7. Episode 1: Chapter 7

"Did you get in?"

Raimundo reluctantly shook his head, unable to meet his brother's eyes. Zephyr growled and ran a hand across his face, then slammed his fist into the wall beside him.

"Did you even _try_?" he shouted.

"Dude, calm down, okay?" Raimundo yelled. "We're _trying_! But Chase has got his place locked up tight! One of his cats almost took Clay's arm off!"

Zephyr opened his mouth to say something, then snarled again and bit his knuckles. Raimundo softened and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get in there, Zeph, I promise-"

"_No_!" Zephyr interrupted, shoving his arm away. "No more promises! You either get in there or you don't, do _not_ promise me anymore!"

"Zeph-"

"I need to clear my head, okay? Go..._meditate_ or something."

Rai looked hurt by his comment, but Zephyr just walked away, dragging a hand through his dreads as he swore in Portuguese. Things were getting much too complicated, and he couldn't count on his brother as much as he would like to this time...

He stopped and thought about that a moment. He hadn't had a thought like that since before he and Rai made up...when Raimundo would ignore him and let their grandma do whatever she wanted to him.

He shook the thoughts away before they could even take hold in him. Rai had apologized, they'd made up. There was no reason to think about the past anymore, not at a time like this.

"They didn't find him?"

He looked up to see Cinder and Entropy in front of him. Cinder had changed from the robe they'd given her to her black jeans and red tank top, her hair tied in buns and her eyeliner back on. Entropy was in her uniform too, but looked much less fiery than her friend as she sat, cross-legged, on the floor behind her, staring at the planks with hollow eyes. He shook his head.

"Did they try?" Cinder asked bitterly, her hands on her hips.

"They did," he answered, almost too quickly to be believable. "Even if it doesn't seem like it, they did."

"No one ever tries," Entropy murmured to herself. "Not when it comes to us."

"I think it's time we stop relying on your brother, Zeph," Cinder said. "Maybe it's time we start relying on ourselves."

"If _they_ can't get in, what makes you think _we_ will?" Zephyr asked, examining the bandage on his hand. "You and Entropy are healed, sure, but I'm not. And there's no guarantee we'll be at our full strength."

"We'll do a lot better than the monk boys will."

"Why are you so _sure_ of that?"

"Because Stryker's there," Cinder said, her eyes determined. "Stryker's there and we want him back a _lot_ more than they do."

Zephyr stared at her a moment, then looked down at Entropy. Her eyes had lit up a little at Cinder's comment, and a tinge of their old flare was coming back. He looked down at his hand again, then clenched it and met Cinder's eyes.

"Fine," he said, looking over his shoulder. "But we'll have to take a few things with us when we go."

"Shen Gong Wu," Entropy guessed, looking up at him.

"My brother confiscated ours when we were out, probably so no one else could get them."

"Like _us_," Cinder grumbled.

"So we're going to have to get them back," Zephyr continued, walking passed her and crouching near Entropy. Her eyes widened when he brushed her blonde and purple bangs away. "Do you think you could do that for us, Enny?"

Entropy examined his face for a moment, then that familiar grin spread from one ear to the other.

"Uh-huh," she cooed. "They won't even know I was there."


	8. Episode 1: Chapter 8

Stryker flinched away from Chase's touch, clenching his jaw against the pain in his head. He'd healed up again, at least on the outside, but his uncle had found a way to torture him without knives.

"If you would just cooperate, I wouldn't have to do this to you," Chase hissed at him.

He touched Stryker's forehead and smirked as his nephew cried out, a yellow glow shining beneath his skin. Stryker's skin started to spread into scales and shine silver as his eyes spread.

"What are you doin', Daddy?"

Chase lifted his hand from his nephew and turned a grin to Shadow, who was standing in the doorway of Stryker's cell. Stryker's skin returned to normal and he dangled from his chains.

"I'm, shall we say, _toying_ with Stryker's transformation," Chase answered as Shadow stepped into the room. "You see, since he refuses to use it more often, it causes him great pain to shift."

"More pain than I could cause 'im?"

"If I don't allow him to fully change. The initial shock is what causes it, since he needs a jolt in heart rate to start it off."

Chase raised his hand up and gripped Stryker under his chin. He tightened it when Stryker's body jolted fiercely, trembling as if he were being electrocuted. Shadow's eyes widened as his skin split to scales and his fangs spliced through his gums, drawing blood as they elongated. Her face fell when Chase took his hand away and Stryker shifted back, drooping against the wall again.

"Can you teach _me_ to do that?" she asked, giving Chase a smile.

"I don't know," Chase answered, surveying Stryker's quivering form. "I suppose if you would like-"

A growl brought their attention to the doorway. A male panther was standing there, his tail twitching viciously. He and Chase met eyes and the warlord scowled, then put a hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"You're going to help me this time, my dear," he said, starting to lead her to the door. "It's time we show what you can do."

"But, what about-" she started, looking back at Stryker.

"He'll be here when we get back, don't fret."

She grudgingly agreed and followed him out of the room, closing the door behind her. When he was sure they were gone Stryker shakily tried to stand, then fell back again. He wanted to die, why couldn't his body just let him die? Anything was better than dealing with his uncle and his sick..._whatever_ she was.

He was fading again, thank goodness; at least he'd get a break from the pain. He rested his head against the cool bricks and closed his eyes, unaware of his body beginning to shrink. His wrists thinned down, then fell to his sides as he fell onto the floor. The transformation quickened, until all that was left was his clothing. A tiny garter snake lay in the middle of the pile, its eyes closed as it's little chest heaved up and down, fighting to sustain itself.

********JP********

"Do you see anything, Clay?"

"If ya mean a break in security, no," Clay sighed, sliding back down the rock he'd climbed on. "We'll be lucky if we make it passed this rock."

"We gotta do somethin' though," Raimundo growled. "If we don't then Zephyr and the other girls are going to try getting in themselves."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Omi asked him. "Would it not be wise to have as many hands with us as we can?"

"I don't want to put Zeph in any more danger than I need to," Raimundo said, rubbing his hand across his forehead.

"I think this is one a those times when we gotta make the smarter choice, rather than the one we want to make," Clay said.

Rai groaned quietly, squeezing his eyes shut. It was mostly his fault Zephyr was involved in the _first_ place, the last thing he needed was to be the reason he got hurt. Still, if they were _really_ going to free Stryker, Clay and Omi were right. They'd need all hands on deck.

"Fine, fine," he hissed. "_Nossa_*, I guess we'd better go get them, see if they can even withstand the fighting."

"They have proven before that they are strong," Omi said with an assured nod. "I have no doubt that they will be a big help to us."

"Yeah, and they can get outta Kimiko's hair," Clay added as they started to go back to the Manta Ray. "The way they've been actin', we'll be lucky if she ain't fried them before we get back!"

_*Nossa: darn_

******JP******

"Are they gone?"

"Yeah, they're heading out," Zephyr whispered to Cinder, watching the monks sneak back to the Manta Ray. "Now what?"

"Easy," Entropy snickered, pointing her wrist cannon their way.

Zephyr and Cinder gasped and lunged for her, but their tackle didn't do much. Entropy had fired by the time they reached her, and they couldn't do anything but watch it sail towards the boys. It missed, thankfully, by at least two yards, knocking the monks to the ground but not injuring them. Entropy dragged Zephyr back to the rock as the lions guarding the door turned and growled at the monks, then started after them. The boys scampered to their feet and dashed to the Ray, barely making it inside before the lions started to claw at the Wu.

"_Go go go_!" Entropy cried, shoving Zephyr in front of him and dragging Cinder along.

The other two stumbled a little before gaining their bearing and racing to the entrance. They reached it and Zephyr turned, watching his brother manage to get the Ray away from the lions and fly to safety.

"Hurry, En," he hissed as the lions growled after the jet.

"Workin' on it," she growled, moving her hands around the door trying to find the latch.

Cinder felt around the rock slab as well, then spotted a strange stone in the middle.

"Zephyr, up there," she said, pointing up to it.

Zephyr saw it and nodded, reached his hand up and slammed it in. The slab hitched, then started to fall. The girls shrieked as something shot around them and pulled them out of the plunging stone; Zephyr set them to the side of the door and clutched his chest, trying to get his heart to stop pounding in his ears.

"So...note to self..." he gasped as the girls hugged him tightly. "The door falls."

Growling sounded behind them and the girls stiffened. Zephyr sucked in air and cringed.

"The lions are behind us now, aren't they?" he groaned.

Entropy scowled and pointed her cannon at them. Zephyr cursed and shifted back to his Shadow Form, shooting up into the air before she could fire.

"I could've shot them-" Entropy started.

"And bring Chase right to us?" Zephyr shouted back as he zipped over the fortress. "No way!"

"Where are we going then?" Cinder asked him.

"To the back. Maybe there's another way in."

He lowered them to the ground behind the castle and sighed, amazed that he had carried them that far.

"Look, over there," Cinder hissed, pointing to a grate in the stone.

The three raced over and looked through the bars, finding nothing but a dark room. Entropy squinted, then her eyes widened.

"That's Stryker's shirt," she whimpered.

"And you _ain't_ supposed to be here."

Zephyr kept the girls behind him and turned, then furrowed his brow at the woman in front of them.

"Who're you?" he asked carefully.

Shadow chuckled darkly, resting a hand on one of the lions surrounding her.

"You can call me Shadow," she hissed. "What're you three doin' snoopin' around my daddy's citadel?"

Cinder and Entropy exchanged shocked glances.

"...Who was desperate enough to be with _Chase_?" Zephyr asked with a cringe.

Shadow snarled at him, her fangs bared. The lions all crouched down, prepared to leap at a single command. Zephyr glanced at Entropy when she raised her cannons, then slowly reached down and grabbed the Notus Hammer; Cinder's fingers were tracing the grip of her gun.

"I'll rip your heart out for talkin' 'bout Daddy that way," Shadow hissed.

"Come and try then," Entropy challenged, crouching low so she could get better aim.

She shot forward when Shadow did the same, letting a battle cry out when they collided. The lions tried to join Shadow in the fight but Zephyr shot a blast with the Hammer at them, slicing some of them open and knocking them back. Cinder fired into a lioness' shoulder when she got to close to Entropy, then kicked one in the head when it leapt at her. Entropy had a handful of Shadow's hair and was pounding on her face, her eyes blazing and her teeth bared. Shadow was fumbling for her knife, shrieking when Entropy stomped on her stomach and used her weight to knock her to the ground, causing Shadow's dagger to fly out of her grasp. She grabbed the back of Entropy's head and slammed her forehead into her mouth, drawing blood from the both of them and rocking Entropy back. Shadow took the opportunity to claw her across the face, then pinned her arms to her sides as she rolled her onto the ground.

"Looks like ya ain't so lucky afta all," Shadow growled as Entropy wriggled and gnashed her teeth at her.

She raised her fist to strike her, then paused when Entropy's eyes locked on her. They were shifting from purple to white, jagged lines splitting towards the pupils as she continued to shriek at her.

"You lil bra-"

Shadow screeched as her body was thrown off Entropy, skidding across the rock before slamming into a rock. Zephyr landed in front of Entropy and spun his Hammer, then pointed it at Shadow as she shakily got up.

"Keep your stupid Australian claws off my girl," he snarled.

Shadow growled, then her eyes shot to something in the sky. Cinder squeaked as something long and green swooped her up, then zipped back and grabbed Zephyr and Entropy. Shadow stumbled to her feet to watch the dragon fly away from the citadel, then let out a frustrated cry and stomped her foot on the ground. This was going to make her father _very_ angry.

******JP******

"If you didn't almost get killed I'd _strangle _you!"

"We were _fine_, Rai-Rai!" Zephyr shouted as Raimundo shook him until his head snapped back and forth. He shoved him away and straightened his shirt. "You didn't have to come get us."

"_You_ didn't have to sneak over!" Rai cried, shooting a glare back at Entropy and Cinder. "We were going to come and _get _you!"

Their eyes widened, then they reddened and sheepishly looked at all the monks. Kimiko and Dojo had intercepted the boys when she found that the remaining Jack Pack was missing, so she was there to cross her arms at them and smirk along with her friends. Zephyr dipped his head and grimaced.

"Guess we messed up, huh?" he said quietly.

Rai softened and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, _we_ did," he said when Zephyr looked up at him. "You guys were right, we didn't try hard enough to get Stryker back."

He looked back at the others and said:

"But that _won't _happen again."


	9. Episode 1: Chapter 9

**Merry Merry Christmas everybody! [Yeah, I know, technically not Christmas yet but...Merry Christmas]. Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing, viewing, slamming, loving, stalking [following, I can NEVER get that word right Xd] and...any other verb I've forgotten. Thank ya thank ya thank ya!**

**-Stryker Young [not the one in the dungeon, I am _far _too homely to be him]**

* * *

><p>"You <em>lost <em>them?"

Shadow dipper her head low, her brow knit as she stared at the stone floor.

"I...was taken by surprise..." she squeaked. "I didn't expect them to be so strong-"

"Strong?" Chase cried, his voice so sharp that Shadow flinched. "_Strong_! My niece is _not_ strong, neither is that monk's _idiot_ _boy-toy_ of a brother and..._what's-her-name_!"

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Shadow whimpered.

Chase shook his head and growled.

"Go," he snarled. "Just _go_. I will deal with this _myself_."

Shadow's breath caught in her thoat as he spun around and started to walk away.

"W-Would you like me to go and torture Stryker?" she desperately called after him.

"I would _like_ you to go to your _room_!" Chase boomed. "And _stay_ there until I bring nine severed heads home with me!"

Shadow flinched back a step, then took off to her room, tears stinging her eyes. Chase shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering where his luck had went. His secret weapon had failed him, due to _Entropy_, a crazed girl who could barely tie her own shoes without screwing up! He snapped his fingers and started to the entrance, his cats following close behind. This was going to be no small task now. Every lion, leopard, panther was coming with him. The game would be over by sunrise.

And blood would flow from the temple.

********JP********

Shadow stopped at the door to her room and covered her face. Chase's words stabbed her deeply, and she couldn't help the tears that fell down her cheeks. How could he act so harshly to her? She was his daughter, wasn't she? Shouldn't he have just forgiven her, after all she had done everything else exactly the way he wanted!

"Trouble in paradise?"

Her head snapped around to see Wuya across from her, her lioness curled around her and snarling as always.

"What do ya want?" Shadow growled, her tears still falling. "Leave me alone!"

"He hurt you, didn't he?" Wuya guessed, her head tilting at Shadow's sobbing. "He has a habit of doing that. Those that should be closest to him tend to burn rather fast."

"I'm not f-fallin' for your tricks!" Shadow roared, twisting back around. "Just go away!"

"But I can't leave you alone like this. What kind of friend would I be if I let you cry yourself to sleep on only your second day of life?"

Shadow sniveled, wiped her tears away and stubbornly kept her back to Wuya. The witch crossed over to her and gently stroked her hair.

"He hurt me too," she said quietly; a part of her cried out at the truth in her words. "He hurt me so much, that I want to hurt him the same."

The new Young shoved her hand away, but Wuya stayed where she was.

"And all because I didn't do _one_ little thing," she said, heaving a sigh. "You'd think, after _all_ I did for him, he'd forgive me...just once."

Shadow gasped and spun around, staring into Wuya's green eyes. Her face caved and she threw her arms around the witch's neck, sobbing uncontrollably. Wuya hugged her back, resting her head on the girl's shoulder so she could see the lioness.

They shared a knowing smirk as Wuya continued her ploy.


	10. Episode 1: Chapter 10

"I am sorry, but I had no idea Chase had a daughter."

"Or a _wife_," Raimundo added with a shiver. "Who in their right _mind_-"

"Wuya?" Zephyr guessed.

"_Ew_! Don't even!" Kimiko and Cinder squealed.

"Does this change the prophecy then, Master Dashi?" Omi asked.

"It's bound to do _somethin_' to it," Clay said.

"I don't know," Dashi admitted, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I don't _believe_ it changes anything. I would have seen if it did."

"Well, she didn't pop out of nowhere to sit and watch," Zephyr said, looking over at Cinder as they recalled the fight between the strange girl and Entropy. Cinder nodded and reached out for Entropy's arm, but her hand clasped only air. "That chick's about as dangerous as Chase."

"_About_," Omi emphasized as Cinder furrowed her brow and searched the room. "Which means that she is _below_ Chase Young, and if we have beaten _him_, we can surely beat-"

"Where's Enny?" Cinder interrupted frantically.

They all felt their hearts drop as they searched the room.

"_Jack_!" they cried as they raced to the vault room.

********JP********

Entropy stroked Jack's forehead as she glared down at his flickering eyelids; the only thing keeping her from ripping out his throat was the unconscious knowlege that he was still her friend.

"I wish I never met you," she growled. "I wish Stryker had never met you. I wish you were never born..."

Jack's brow twitched and her eyes slowly widened.

"I know you can hear, whichever one you are. But I don't care. You ruined everything. Chase is destroying Stryker, there's a new girl making everything worse...if you weren't here no one would be in pain and we could have Stryker back."

She dragged her index finger down his cheek, across his chin, until it rested on the middle of his throat. She pressed and his brow twitched again.

"I want to kill you, Jack. I want to ram something through your neck, just so you can stop breathing."

A tear slid down her cheek; she brushed it away.

"You were supposed to help us. You _said_ you would make everything better, but you just made everything worse."

Her fingers wrapped around his throat and started to squeeze. His body jolted and she relaxed her grip, tears streaming down her cheeks as her breathing became quick and rabid.

"Never should have believed you," she growled. "Never...never..._never_!"

She had both hands around his neck, but she couldnt squeeze, she just sat there, shivering uncontrollably and glaring at him. His eyelids fluttered and she gasped, pulling her hands away. Jack's face seemed to soften, then his eyes opened and landed on her. She could tell that he was seeing without seeing, that he was still trapped in his fog, but that didn't stop her from shooting forward and grabbing the sides of his head. His eyes were red, just like they should be, and suddenly her anger was gone.

"_Jack_?" she cried.

His lips parted, as if he were going to speak, but his eyes lolled back and fell closed, his face tensed as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Entropy let out a cry and pressed her forehead to his, her tears dripping onto his cheeks.

"Come back!" she shrieked, gripping his shoulders and shaking him. "Don't leave me please please come back! Come _back_!"

She was still shaking Jack when the others rushed in. They had been prepared to rip her away, but when they saw her crying over Jack they stopped. Her cries echoed around them, then Zephyr and Cinder took their places at her side. She sensed their presence and turned towards Cinder.

"He...he woke up," she gasped, her head pressed against his chest to hear his heart beat. Everyone stared at her in shock. "I _swear_ he woke up he looked at me he tried to say something-"

Cinder gently pulled her away and wrapped her arms around the girl's shaking frame. Zephyr leaned forward and stared at Jack's flickering eyelids, then up at Raimundo when he knelt on the other side of him. The brother's hesitated, then put their thumbs on each lid and pulled them up.

They jolted when glowing sapphire eyes greeted them.

"They were red," Entrop whimpered as they closed Jack's lids. "They were red I swear they were."

"We believe you Enny," Zephyr said numbly.

"We should get Master Fung," Raimundo as he stood. "I think...I think he's swaking up."

The tension thickened, but Omi was paying attention to something else. He'd felt a jolt a moment ago that he'd blamed on Jack's energy shift, but it was back again, stronger. He closed his eyes and focused, the nine dots on his large forehead burning brightly. Kimiko and Clay took a step back when they saw this.

"Omi?" Kimiko asked, drawing everyone else's eyes to him. "What is it?"

He didn't answer for a long moment, then his eyes shot open.

"Chase." he squeaked.

A loud rumbling sounded outside, chilling them to the bone. They scrambled to the door and stared in horror as one of the monk buildings crumbled to the earth. Fromt he dust that flew emerged rows upon rows of lions, cheetahs, tigers, leopards, each glaring menacingly at the teens. They parted to let their master through.

"Oh we're _so _dead," Zephyr squeaked as Chase Young pulled out his spear.

The monks silently agreed with him, but they hid it much better than him and the girls.

"You will regret returning here, Chase Young," Omi threatened as he and his friends got into position.

"Not _this_ time, Little Monk," Chase growled. "I believe _you_ will regret my coming here much more than _I_ will."

He pointed his staff at them; the front line of cats knelt, then shifted into their warrior forms, weapons raised as they marched towards the monks. Omi, Kimiko and Clay shifted into their Wudai Forms and sprang at them. Raimundo sprang into the air and transformed into his Shoku Form, his shadowed wings stretched back as his Blade shifted to a black axe. He and Chase locked glares before he thrust them forward. The gust of wind they created shot through the warlord's front line, threw them back to a collision with the other lions. Chase wasn't moved, only his hair swished off his shoulder. His grip tightned on his spear and he shot forward. Raimundo did the same, and in a split second the two were trading blows, Raimundo hovering above to strike Chase's head. Chase kept him at bay long enough to jump up and grab one of his wings, twist him around and slam him to the ground. Raimundo blocked his spear with his axe before it could pierce him.

There was a splash behind them, then Case was shoved forward; he flipped and landed on his feet, then turned a glare to Omi, who was surrounded by glowing tendrils of water. The ground shook beneath Chase and he barely dodged the wall of rock that swept by his right. Clay shoved another at him and it knocked him back. Kimiko flipped into the air and flicked a burning whip his way. It struck his shoulder and he fell to a knee. Raimunndo zipped to him and slammed the flat part of his axe against his face, batting him to his still army. The mons regrouped as the warlord fought to stand.

"We told you you'd regret this," Raimundo told him, standing tall.

They tenssed and readied themselves when Chase cackled.

"You _really_ thought it'd be that _easy_?" he roared as he stood.

His eyes burned as his mouth filled with fangs. The transformation was cut short by a blade of air splicing him across his face, twisting his head around. his skin tore and bled as he turned a deadly growl to Zephyr, who'd shifted to his Shadow Form and grabbed his Notus Hammer fromt he vault. Entropy and Cinder were beside him, their weapons drawn and pointed at him.

"You should stay out of this," Chase hissed.

To everyone's surprise the three smirked at him and pulled back.

"Fine," Zephyr said, his voice filled with a confidence that made Chase's blood boil. "We'll just let _him _take over."

They stepped aside to reveal a pale boy standing behind them. His eyes were burning blue against black sclera*, narrowed and pointed at the disturbed warlord. His crimson hair was flat and whispy, blowing around as his energy pulsated around him. The long red robe the monks had given him hung loosely on his thin frame; tendrils of black snaked from his fingers and toes, as if a demonic plant was overtaking him. He was gripping one of the combination bell's string in his right hand, the tiny chime tinkling as it swayed.

No one knew what to say, no one moved. Jack's friends stepped behind him and glared at Chase, waiting for the warlord to do something. Jack's fingers twitched, then he raised the bell above his head. The string glowed, then flashed and spit sparks, causing everyone to back up. The cloth flew up, then wrapped around Jack's forarm, shifing and tearing holes down the middle. The fabric hardened to a steel chain that dug into his skin. The bell shook back and forth, the tinkling sound slowly disappearing as it closed up and lengthened. A hilt slipped into Jack's hand and soon the bell had a sharp point and razored edge. He held the shortsword straight for a moment, then swung it fluidly down to his side. It glowed blue and had thunderbolt designs on along the blade.

He'd just created a new Shen Gong Wu.

"Cool..." Entropy sighed.

Jack's upper lip raised, revealing elongated incisors, then stepped forward. Chase flinched as he slowly came near, knowing that this probably wasn't Jack. He examined the boy carefully, then smirked.

"This must be the Sapphire Dragon I'm looking at," he said.

Jack's head tilted but he kept coming towards him. Chase scowled and stepped back.

"Don't think I won't attack you in this weak form!" he cried. "I will! If I'm willing to tear apart my own nephew then I-"

His words stopped when Jack's eyes snapped open, flicked to red. He'd frozen only a few steps away from Chase, the sword dangling from the chain. Then his body tensed and his chin snapped down, his eyes flickering from blue to red until they settled on sapphire hatred. He flicked his wrist up, caught the sword, then swung it down.

Chase only saw a flash of bright light before he felt the stin of the blast. It ran up his body before seizing him and digging in, throwing him back as his army fell to the ground. He didn't know how far he'd been tossed until he felt the bricks of another building connect with his back. When the blast ended he slipped to the ground and touched his armor. It was split open from his waist to his shoulder, and his gauntlet was red when he pulled his fingers away. He looked up and saw that the ground had been torn open, jagged rocks pulled up out about three feet. Jack was breathing heavily, smoke pouring from his lungs in black gusts. His chest ached and he cursed to himself.

"This isn't over," he growled. "I swear, this isn't over!"

His cats were shaking themselves off, then one of them grew in size and swept over to Chase. It picked him up and raced away, ahead of the rest of his army. Jack watched them go for a moment, then his eyes flickered and he squeezed them shut with a groan. His friends snapped out of their trances and raced to his side, catching him before he fell. He clutched his head and forced himself to look up at them, his red eyes glazed.

"G-Guys?" he gasped.

They answered by nodding and wrapping their arms around him, squeezing so much he had to push them away to get air.

"Where are we?" he asked groggily.

"The monks' temple," Cinder answered. "We've been holed up here for a couple days now, waiting for..."

She looked at the others as Entropy clenched her fists and turned her eyes to the ground. Zephyr put a hand on her shoulder.

"Chase took Stryker," he said. Jack's eyes flickered and he seemed to wake a bit more. "My brother has been trying to get in the citadel to get him back."

Jack's face hardened and he swiveled to face the monks. They flinched even as he stumbled and Zephyr had to hold him up. His eyes were flashing between blue to red.

"How _hard_ have they been trying?" he growled, knowing the answer before he even asked.

The monks were too afraid to tell him.

"_Hard_, Jack, _really_," Zephyr assured him, bringing his friend's glare to him. "Honest. It might not seem like it, but they tried. I saw..."

Jack's expression softened, then he groaned again and lost feeling in his legs.

"You should get him inside," Entropy mumbled as Zephyr slung Jack's arm over his shoulder.

"I'll find Master Fung," Kimiko offered. "He'll have something to help his injuries."

"I'll come with you," Cinder said, starting to follow.

She stopped and turned back to Jack, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then followed Kimiko to the main temple. Jack smiled briefly before sagging again. Entropy grabbed his other arm and helped Zephyr take him back to the room. They'd left the vault open when they'd gotten their things, so they set him against the wall and knelt beside him. Raimundo grabbed the red blanket on the top stair while Clay shut the vault again and grabbed the small pillow they'd supplied the boy. Each handed them to Jack's friends and they got him situated, setting the pillow behind his back and wrapping the blanket around him.

"You should recover soon," Zephyr said, ignoring the twinge in his arm that had started as soon as he hefted his Hammer. "If there's one thing these guys know how to do is heal."

He and Raimundo exchanged brief smiles as Jack nodded wearily.

"I'd better," he murmured, his tone turning dark as he slowly opened his eyes. "I'd better..."

Entropy looked up from the tile when he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, determination in his eyes.

"Because we're paying Chase a little visit," he said, bringing a surprised look to his friend's face. "And we're going to make him suffer for the things he's done."

Entropy stayed frozen for a long moment, then that familiar grin spread across her face. They were going to rain Hell down on her uncle's citadel.

She couldn't wait for the party to start.


	11. Episode 2: Chapter 1

It was cold and dark. Shouting was going on somewhere. He squeaked when someone took the shirt from beneath him and his head hit the rock floor, his tail bending the wrong way.

_Tail_? Stryker thought groggily. He looked back and wiggled the thin appendage. _Crap, I must've changed after I passed out._

The shouting started again and he looked up, his earholes still wringing. Stryker's scales stood up when he realized it was Chase Young above him, shaking his shirt at Shadow as she stood solemnly. He slithered back when the warlord stomped his boot and his voice raised, then zipped behind the bucket Wuya had sat him on. Something big must've happened if Chase hadn't noticed him.

He looked down at his garter snake body; not a scratch could be found, not even a bruise. With less space to heal his regeneration must've picked up speed. Stryker closed his eyes and held his breath, then peeked down to see that he hadn't changed. Sure, he didn't want to go back to his human form yet, but he'd settle for being a snake that could _defend_ himself.

"I didn't think he could get out," he finally heard Shadow say.

"Well he's _gone_ isn't he?" Chase snarled.

"Please, I said I was sorry-"

"Shut up!" _Thwack! _"I don't want to hear it anymore!"

Stryker peeked around the bucket and saw that Shadow was on her knees now, clutching her cheek as Chase stood over her. She was shaking, possibly crying, and he thought he saw blood slip down her face. He'd only seen Chase this angry once, towards him, but even then, he'd never blindly struck out at him. Usually he was cold and calculating. What was happening out there to make him lose control?

"I think you've proven your point, Chase," Wuya said as she slinked into the room.

Stryker narrowed his eyes when she put a hand on Shadow's shoulder.

"I _don't_ need your input," Chase snarled, leaning into Wuya's calm face. "In fact, if you don't get out of here, I may _kill_ you."

This answer surprised everyone, but Wuya only squared her shoulders and turned away from him. She helped Shadow to her feet and led the girl out of the dungeon, never looking back at the seething warlord. Chase watched her go with fiery eyes, then stared down at Stryker's shirt. He saw the Frankenstein head on it and his fist clenched. He ripped it in half before disappearing to the hall, his heavy boots clomping hard against the floor.

Stryker waited until he was sure he was gone, then slid out from behind the bucket. His body tingled nervously as he looked down at his clothes. He couldn't tell if Chase's reaction was a way of saying he'd look for Stryker later, or if he was going to search him out now. After all, he'd never told his uncle of his transformation abilities, mostly because he didn't want the warlord to know he couldn't control it. He slithered to the open doorway, checked to be sure that no one was coming down the stairs, then zipped in the other direction.

He let out a squeak when something slammed down onto his tail. He looked back to see that one of the lionesses had grabbed him and pulled him back. When he saw her stripes and spots he relaxed, as this was the lioness that followed Wuya.

"Let go please," he squeaked.

The cat's face seemed to grow amused at his tiny voice, and only drew him closer.

"_Seriously_, I need to go," Stryker tried again, glaring at the cat. "Can you-_hey_!"

He wriggled as the lioness put his tail between her teeth and swung him up, placing him on her back. He wrapped himself around her as best he could when she took off, bolting down the hall and up another set of stairs. They came to one of the long halls, probably a bedroom wing, before they ran into more lions. Stryker's heart jolted, then he shot forward and wrapped himself around the lioness' neck, hoping he looked like a collar.

The lions didn't move when she came up to them, so she gave a low growl of warning when she stopped. They didn't move, only growled back at her. Stryker shook, his senses telling him the cats were being told to stay put. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, but when one of the larger lions came forward he spiralled down the lioness' leg and took off down the hall. Two of the cats noticed his retreat and followed after him, yowling for the others to come. He zigged and zagged, searching for a familiar room to hide in, then saw they were coming up to a corner. He bolted around the corner and slid under the first door he came to. The cats came around too late and ran passed the room. Stryker sighed when he heard their claws click away, then took a good look around the room.

Armor was hanging everywhere, with a single pink orb to light the room. Stryker slipped around the space, gazing at the menacing Samari armor that repeated with each hanger. The pit grew in his stomach as he stared at them, as if Chase was standing in every one he passed. He didn't understand why his uncle needed so many suits of armor, it wasn't like they constantly got damaged or anything.

His body jolted, then he felt a sort of relaxing in his lungs. Thank goodness, he was changing back; maybe he could-

Something scratched at the door to the room, causing him to whip around and stare at it. After a moment the scratching started again, then came a low growl. Stryker's spine shook when yowls responded, then claws clicking against stone came closer. He slipped behind a suit of armor as the scratching worsened, the yowls increased, until he was shaking uncontrollably.

Then it stopped, and he peeked out to see the knob on the door turn. His heart stopped when it swung open and a menacing shadow slipped over him.

********JP********

**Yeah, this is super short and may be a little awkward, I apologize for that.**


	12. Episode 2: Chapter 2

"Are you sure you don't want to take a break?"

Jack shook his head, his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. Zephyr grabbed his towel off the ground and held it out to him; Jack had insisted they train so he could get his body and mind moving again. The others weren't so sure that it was a good idea, but Zephyr knew that Jack would do what he wanted, with or without help.

"Thanks," Jack said as he took the towel and whiped his forehead. "Think I'm ready?"

"To take on Chase?" Zephyr asked, his brow furrowed. "I don't know, Jack."

"Well, maybe we'll be lucky and _I_ won't be in control."

His answer didn't make Zephyr feel better. He patted Jack's shoulder as he sat on one of the large rocks in the monk garden. While they'd gotten approval to take their weapons back and to "borrow" Shen Gong Wu, they hadn't gotten permission to leave the monestary, mostly because Raimundo didn't want his little brother out of his sight until this whole thing was over.

"How is it...living with the Dragon in you?" Zephyr asked carefully.

"Like someone's clawing at my insides and squeezing my brains between their teeth," Jack sighed, standing up straight and stretching his arms over his head. "And that appears to be the _good_ days."

He slapped Zephyr on the shoulder when he saw the pinched look on his face.

"Don't worry so much, I'm fine," he assured him. "C'mon, before I get all tired again."

Zephyr nodded and stood, then groaned when he saw his brother coming towards them. He had that look on his face, like he'd caught Jack and Zephyr cheating on a test.

"Don't you two think are pushing it?" Raimundo asked when he got to them. "I mean, neither of you are fully healed, after all. And one of you just woke up from a coma."

Jack glared at him as he twisted his wrist around, then grabbed one of the training staffs.

"It wasn't meant to be offensive," Rai said, raising his hands for peace. "I was just sayin'-"

"Why don't you _stop_ "just sayin' and do something a little more _useful_," Jack growled. "Like, I don't know, come up with a way to get into Chase's castle, in case the direct approach doesn't work. Or, _heck_, get ready for battle _yourselves_, instead of worrying about how _we're_ doing."

"_Right_, this is the part where you think you know how to _handle_ this situation."

"Apparently I'm being smarter about it than _you_ are."

Rai squinted at Jack; without his coat on, Rai could see the beginnings of muscle in the boy's physique, and for the first time he realized that they were the same height. It could have been that for the first time Jack wasn't slumped down, wasn't afraid. Whatever the Dragon was doing was making Jack braver...or angrier.

"Maybe you are," Raimundo said slowly. "I'll give you credit for the fact that you've thought about this a lot. But there's the issue with the...Dragon. It wouldn't be a good idea to take you if the Sapphire Dragon is so tempermental."

"It's _not_," Jack assured him.

"But it _is_! Jack, you've never been this fired up before, you've never been this _brave_ before-"

"And what's wrong with _that_-"

"But you've also become a lot _angrier_, and a lot less _rational_, to be frank!"

"Rai..." Zephyr warned, his eyes on Jack's aggitated face.

"What if you go off and make things worse?"

"I _won't_," Jack snarled, stepping towards the Shoku Warrior.

"We can't garentee that. I'm not telling you that you can't go, but I just think you should settle down and _think_, before you wear yourself out-"

"_I'm already worn out_!" Jack shouted, shoving Raimundo away from him. "_You think that everything happening when I was unconscious just __**stopped**__ when I woke up_?"

"Whoa, _Jack_-" Zephyr cried, stepping between him and Raimundo.

"I _hear_ it in my _head_, _Raimundo_," Jack continued. "It hasn't left me alone at _all_!"

"Jack, please calm down," Zephyr begged when he and Raimundo saw his eyes flicker from red to blue.

"Why _should _I calm down? Maybe your brother and I should just go _at_ it! As long as he's standing there thinking he's _better_ than me-"

"_Jack Spicer calm down right now_!"

Jack's eyes snapped back to Zephyr, snapped back to red, and he saw the fear in his friend's face as he clutched his shoulders.

"Take a breath," Zephyr said, letting one of his shoulders go cautiously. "I'm _beggin'_ ya."

His plea made Jack furrow his brow; his eyes flashed blue again when Rai shifted, causing the monk to pause as Jack's lip curled up.

"Don't look at him, look at _me_," Zephyr instructed, directing Jack's attention again. "Take a breath. Everything's fine."

Jack stared at him, his eyes flickering. After a moment, he let out the breath he was holding through his teeth. Two streams of black smoke billowed out and into the air as his eyes slowly melted back to crimson. Rai shivered.

"Better?"

Jack didn't answer, just diverted his gaze to his boots as another headache started.

"Okay, well...I think that Rai's right."

He put a hand up when Jack glared at him.

"Just in the sense that you need to _rest_. It won't help any if you're exhausted."

"But-"

"We'll train more later, I promise," Zephyr assured him, gaining a sharp glance from his brother. "Right you should go inside and try to relax. I'll make sure we're ready for what's ahead."

Jack looked up at Zephyr, conflict in his eyes. He nodded, then jolted his shoulder away and walked passed him. He paused to give Raimundo a piercing glare, then closed his eyes and forced himself to the temple.

"He doesn't look ready for this," Raimundo said as he watched him go.

"You think I don't know that?" Zephyr asked, a bitter tone to his voice. "The only reason I let him work so much was so I could keep an eye on him. Something tells me that if he knew we were waiting a couple more days he'd zip out of here himself."

"We _need_ the time though. He's not well, and neither are _you_, only a few of your wounds have healed."

"I only had a few."

"A few my _butt_, Zephy. You look like you're going to fall over just _standing _there!"

Zephyr glared at him, hating that he was right. His arm still felt like it was on fire, even more so now that he had been training with Jack, and he was pretty sure he wrenched his knee the wrong way. But he had to keep going, had to help his friends. They'd been so strong through this, the least he could do was suck up the pain and do the same.

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself," Raimundo told him, his eyes filled with worry. "They'll understand if you're hurt, Zeph-"

"You don't _get_ it," Zephyr interrupted, looking away from him. "You've _always _been there for your friends, it isn't as big a deal to you when you have to stand up with them, because that's how you've always done it!"

"Zeph-"

"I've _never _had situations where I needed to be there! None of my friends were dangerous, we didn't get in trouble or anything!"

"I _know_ that, but Zeph-"

"So with _this_? I _need_ to be there for them, just to prove to them and to myself that I'm not going anywhere. I don't care if it's dangerous, if I _die_, as long as those guys know that I'm here till the end."

He met Rai's eyes; his brother was astounded at how adult he looked.

"So forget sitting out just 'cause my arm hurts," Zephyr said. "I'm coming with you guys and that's final."

Rai sagged; even with his new maturity, his little brother couldn't fully hide how scared he was. There wasn't any way Zeph would come out of this fight unscathed.

"You know that you'd do this if you were in my situation," Zephyr told him.

His statement made Rai laugh coldly, then massage the bridge of his nose.

"Ai yai yai, you know I hate when you're right," he sighed.

Zephyr smirked at him as he came over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright alright, you're going. But you're resting for today. If you're good tomorrow I'll help you further stabilize your Wudai Form."

"_Shadow_ Form. I'm not a monk, Rai-Rai."

"That can always _change_, as long as I'm alive."

Zephyr shook his head and laughed as they walked into one of the monk houses. A moment later Jack slipped out into the doorway of the temple, glaring sapphire daggers at the two brothers. They were going to wait a couple more days to go after Chase? To free Stryker? _No_, that is _not_ what they agreed on!

_Traitors_! a familiar voice hissed into his brain. _They're betraying you, Young Dragon. You can't trust them anymore..._

Jack shook his head and cringed, trying to shake away the idea.

_Go. Fight the battle on your own. You don't need them!_

_No, I need them,_ Jack thought, opening his eyes a little. _The one I don't need is _you.

Echoed, narled laughter was his answer. He leaned against the doorframe and covered his face with his hands.

_You need me more than you think, _the Sapphire Dragon told him. _You don't really believe that our connection will simply _end_? That you can 'get away' from me? There is no end to me. There is no end to _you_. We will be one until the end of time!_

Jack slid down the frame and put his forehead onto his knees. His hope for an end to this had just been crushed, and yet, with everything that had been happening, he felt no sorrow, no fear.

Only the urge to tear out his brains.

_So is the fate of the Dragon who will change all._

********JP********

**This might be...slightly weird so...yeah let me know if it is.**


End file.
